There’s been a fair amount of discussion regarding extended service plans for the TR. I haven’t heard anything good about other plans, but here’s what showed up at my door today. It’s a shrinkwrapped cardboard folder, clearly identified as a Sony product, with a single sheet of paper inside:

Extended Service 3 Year Notebook Onsite with Accidental Damage is the official description. Sony PN:  PCGA3SYLPA. When I checked prices they started at $253 and varied up to around $330. I don’t know which, if any, of the big box stores carry it or how much they’d ask for it.

The plans are available only in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico and the Accidental Damage option is not available in some States. Their cumulative liability under the plan is essentially limited to your original purchase price.

Reading the package, “You must register your Extended Service within 30 days of purchase to qualify for service,” made me wonder if it was a time-of-purchase product. The good news is that’s 30 days from purchase of the service plan itself. However, the plan must be activated within 11 months of the notebook’s original purchase.

The three year warrantee and accidental damage coverage are timed from the day you bought your computer. There’s no sense in putting it off unless you’re planning on committing insurance fraud. I really think this is a pretty good deal since it’s a blanket warrantee for all Vaio notebooks and the TR is a rather pricey and at-risk subset of the Sony product line. As an aside, the sample contract says notebook, but the package says notebook and desktop.

Although the service is handled by a third party under contract to Sony, calls are answered with, “Thank you for calling Sony extended service”.  Both times I called the wait was almost nonexistent and the staff was pleasant and knowledgeable.

There are two types of coverage available, Extended Service and Extended Service with Accidental Coverage. These are supposedly available in 2, 3 or 4 year terms. In my wanderings I never found a 4 year plan for sale. All plans are transferable to a new owner.

Amazingly enough there is no easily accessed information about these plans on any of the Sony sites. A part number search on their Direct Accessories & Parts Center site yielded a “We’re sorry…” and Sonystyle didn’t have a clue. This appears to be a retail only point-of-purchase product designed to (at the higher markups) increase margins and comfort trepid consumers.

I’ve never been a supporter of extended warrantees. I’ve always felt they did little except put money in the dealer’s pocket. However, with the accidental coverage and the fact that my TR and I are likely to end up in a lot of places we shouldn’t be, it’s a good choice for me.